Lino Červar, the coach of the Croatian men’s handball team, has released a list of 28 players he will count on during the preparations for the European Championship in Croatia this January.
We are getting closer to the European Handball Championship which will run from January 12 to 28, 2018, in Croatia! Lino Červar, Croatia's coach, has therefore released a list of players he will count on during the preparations for the tournament, scheduled from December 18 to 24, 2017 and from December 26 to 31, 2017, in Ivanić-Grad, reports Gol.hr on December 5, 2017.
The final phase of preparations will begin on January 1, 2018, in Split, and during this period, there will be a friendly match against Montenegro. This meeting is scheduled for January 5, 2018, at Spaladium Arena.
"We have seven young players and five new players, and nine of them are over two meters tall. That is important. The problem is that we will not have an entire team during all of the preparations. In the first phase of preparations in Ivanić-Grad, from December 18 to 24, 2017, we will be missing some players, while most of them will join from December 26th. Final preparations begin on the afternoon of January 1st in Split, and we are there until the beginning of the Championship. We will try to prepare in three directions. It's important to have technical and tactical preparation, psychological preparation and physical training,” said Červar, who continued:
“We need to determine the goal. It's not easy for us, and we’ve always been in a tough situation. Everything reminds me of the championship in Portugal. If we want to do something in this championship, we have to push through the strongest teams. We are also the hosts, and because of this, despite all the problems, we have to look to the moon because they say if you make a mistake, you are still among the stars. We know it will be difficult to reach the medal. The team must be a team without a star, and I'm happy that our players behave modestly. We are looking for team players and those who will be able to take responsibility. The player must be the winner not only physically, but also in character.”
Izbornik #Červar objavio popis 28 za @EHFEURO. #CROhandball #ehfeuro2018 pic.twitter.com/jSUYp0NQRN
— HRS (@HRStwitt) December 5, 2017
Vice President of the Croatian Handball Federation, Zoran Gobac, pointed out that the federation has strong support from essential state structures:
"The European Championship is getting closer and closer. I will not enter the profession too much, and I will only say that we have chosen the best we have and hope for success. As for the organization of the Euro, I would like to point out that we have great support from the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Sports Office and certain Ministries,” said Gobac, and stressed that the opening match of the European Championships against Serbia was sold out.
"There are no more tickets for the match against Serbia, and for the other two matches in the group, there are still about 20% of the tickets available. The Croatian Handball Federation has provided special tickets to all handball employees and county alliances, and everyone has taken advantage of this right. Despite all the problems we had with Split, everything was resolved, and the organization will be at the top level. I invite all fans to make sure that they will be able to get tickets and support Croatia at all times.”
"I use this opportunity to invite the media and fans to give us great support and create a positive atmosphere. I want everyone to join together in being fans of Croatia, so we can finally say that we have a real eighth player on the court who will help Croatia win in every second of every match. Also, I would like to thank the Government of the Republic of Croatia, sponsors and business partners who have decided to support us in these difficult times. This is extremely important for Croatian sports and handball and for the European Championship itself,” said Tomislav Grahovac, president of the Croatian Handball Federation, at the end of the press conference.
Lineup of players for Ivanić-Grad
Ivan Stevanović – HC Kadetten Schaffhausen
Filip Ivić – HC PGE Vive Kielce
Ivan Pešić – HC Meshkov Brest
Zlatko Horvat – RK PPD Zagreb
Tin Kontrec – RK PPD Zagreb
Valentino Ravnić – RK PPD Zagreb
Leon Šušnja – RK PPD Zagreb
Ivan Vida – RK Dubrava
Igor Vori – RK PPD Zagreb
Mario Vuglač – RK PPD Zagreb
Ivan Čupić – RK Vardar
Manuel Štrlek - HC PGE Vive Kielce
Lovro Mihić – HC Orlen Wisla Plock
Halil Jaganjac – RK Metalurg
Marko Mamić - HC PGE Vive Kielce
Igor Karačić – RK Vardar
Luka Cindrić – RK Vardar
Šime Ivić - HC Orlen Wisla Plock
Kristian Bećiri – RK Celje Pivovarna Laško
Luka Stepančić – RK Paris Saint-Germain Handball
Jakov Vranković – HC Grundfos Tatabánya
Translated from Gol.hr
